I'm not sure if it's blind loyalty, stupidity or simply a lack of options, but fans of the Edmonton Oilers obviously aren't easily discouraged as they continue to buy the failure their hockey team is selling them.

Nikolai Khabibulin has an injured eye after taking an ice chip in the eye earlier this week. He played on Tuesday, but the "injury" flared up when they returned home and now he has a bit of bleeding in the eye. He was told to take some time off, so Martin Gerber has been recalled on an emergency basis, but there is no reason he should see the ice.

Now is the time the Oilers should hand the reins to Dubnyk, and let him skate with them.

Every year during the month leading up to the NHL trade deadline there are heated debates in chat rooms, on blogs, at coffee rooms, around water coolers and here on the Nation about what is a fair or good return in a trade. It is much easier to debate when actual players are moved, but when people start tossing around draft picks the air becomes much more grey.

What is the true value of a draft pick? Is a 2nd rounder fair return on a eight-year veteran 3rd pairing D-man? Many of us seem to think it is, but is it really?

The transmitter I slipped into Steve Tambellini's overcoat last week has stopped working, so I'm as much in the dark as everybody else trying to figure out what the Edmonton Oilers GM has cooking going into Monday's NHL trade deadline.* Anybody got a flashlight?